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WEEK 1 IS HERE BAY BAY! The old adage when it comes to Fantasy Football, especially Week 1, is to start your studs. Don’t overthink things early on. Most are going to have questions when deciding who to start/sit this week, hell that’s why you’re here. Ultimately, refer to the rankings below and start whichever player I have ranked higher. Seems simple enough, right? Let’s jump into a few players who I have ranked higher than the consensus and find out why.

QB

I’m not really sure what everybody else is thinking, perhaps they’re overthinking but Jimmy “Gucci” Garoppolo is facing the Tampa Bay Bucs in Week 1. It seems simple enough but I have him ranked as a Top-12 QB this week as a result, seven spots higher than the other rankers. In 2018, only five teams allowed over two passing touchdowns per game and the Bucs were one of them. In fact, the Bucs allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks last season. I understand it’s a new season and we’re projecting forward but the Bucs secondary is still suspect. Vegas expects points in this game, too, with a total exceeding 50 points, the third-highest total on the slate. Garoppolo is in a good spot here assuming Dante Pettis plays alongside Marquise Goodwin, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and their pass-catching running backs.

RB

While everybody is hyped about Chris Carson in Week 1 and rightfully so, let’s not forget about Rashaad Penny as a flex. The Seahawks are currently -9.5 against the Bengals so Vegas is expecting them to be playing with a lead, which also bodes well for their running backs. Based on last year, the Bengals are one of, if not the best matchup for running backs in fantasy football. They allowed 4.95 yards per carry to running backs last season, the most in the NFL, while allowing the third-most fantasy points to the position. Additionally, Penny really came on strong in the second half last season. From Week 10 on, Penny averaged 6.3 yards per carry. I’m not saying he’s a locked-and-loaded RB2 or anything but if you need a flex play, Penny’s matchup is one of the best.

WR

The Detroit Lions are a team that I want to believe in because of their additions in the offseason but I trust Matt Patricia about as far as I can throw him. Spoiler alert… that’s not much. Nonetheless, the offense is going to eat in Week 1, specifically the wide receivers. The Cardinals allowed the 16th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers last season but that was WITH Patrick Peterson. Peterson is suspended for this game and while rookie Byron Murphy might turn out to be a star one day, he’s still a rookie corner playing in his first game. Plus, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are no cakewalk. Lions OC Darrell Bevell wants to #EstablishTheRun but Matt Stafford will take his shots in this one. The matchup is just too good. Consider Golladay a high-end WR2 while Marvin Jones is a solid WR3.

TE

First and foremost, I’ll throw Delanie Walker’s name out there as a Top-10 tight end this week against the Cleveland Browns but he’s owned in most leagues. If you need a sneaky stream in Week 1, Noah Fant is in a good place against the Oakland Raiders. We don’t necessarily know how much Fant will be used early on in the season but we do know how much the Raiders struggled to cover tight ends last year. They allowed nine touchdown receptions to the position in 2018, tied for third-most in the NFL. If there’s one place the Broncos can utilize Fant as a mismatch, it will be in the red zone. He’s not a TE1 but if you’re desperate for stream, Fant is my guy.

Week One Fantasy Football Rankings